Vereshchagin’s protest and bleak artistic depiction of Russian military operations was not unfounded. A Resting Place for Prisoners and The Road of War Prisoners both depict events following the Imperial coalition’s victory at the Battle of Plevna in the winter of 1877. The Road of the War Prisoners depicts the same storm’s aftermath. [25] His work was decidedly antiwar, portraying death with a level of clarity that was unwelcome to the Russian aristocracy. [26] In fact, both A Resting Place for Prisoners and The Road of War Prisoners were offered originally for acquisition to the czar’s private collection and rejected, despite Vereshchagin’s commissioning as an imperial war painter.

Source: The Guardian January 05, 2024 05:03 UTC